FACE‐Q Skin Cancer Module: appearance satisfaction and QoL

People who have surgery to remove skin cancer on the face are often left with a scar. After surgery, a patient's satisfaction with their appearance is an important but often overlooked treatment outcome (meaning goal), and a patient's opinion on the aesthetic outcome of their surgery (meaning how much it affects how they look) may differ from the surgeon's. Studies have shown that the patient's perspective of their facial scar after skin cancer surgery can influence their perception of the care they received, and their quality of life. This study tested the ‘Face‐Q Skin Cancer Module’, designed to measure facial and scar appearance, appearance‐related psychosocial distress (how much the scar impacts on the patient's emotional wellbeing), cancer worry and the patient experience. Each of these scales within the Face‐Q Skin Cancer Module was tested using responses from 209 patients undergoing facial skin cancer surgery, and the study found that the FACE‐Q Skin Cancer Module provides doctors with a comprehensive set of meaningful and scientifically sound set of scales for the facial skin cancer population. This Module will be useful in clinics with patients, but also in research. Linked Article: Lee et al. Br J Dermatol 2018; 179:88–94